Growing Up Too Fast
by cleanupcrew
Summary: Many ponies think life is great and couldn't get better. Many think that life is horrid and nothing could make it worse. Soundwave though... has a different perspective. Follow the life of a being who would do anything for family, a being who's mind itself is an unsolvable emigma. When growing up too fast, you tend to crack under pressure. When you finally snap, NO ONE IS SAFE.
1. Something Special

**_This is my first story, so please hammer me with everything I do wrong, I want your criticism! Anyway, this story is what you get when you see the world in a different way from everyone else._**

**_Lets start the show!_**

_"Oh how my life is something special."_

It was a phrase I used often, contemplating the difficult yet very rewarding life I live. Few rules, a big family, it's very comfortable.

I stop in my tracks, looking around to quickly get my bearings. One thing I don't need is attracting any unwanted attention.

_"This needs to go exactly as planned. No witnesses."_

I look off to the left, seeing the small town of Ponyville, the small buildings and tents covering the landscape. Even from my position up here it looks magnificent, many ponies trotting around, doing whatever it is those oblivious idiots do.

I slightly smirk to myself, realizing just how oblivious they all are.

Been doing this for almost… 2 years? I can't even think of the number. All I know is every single time I get to see her one more time.

The smile incinerates itself onto my face, knowing that I'll get to meet her one more time. Her gray fur, her blank flank, her bright orange eyes.

It's truly something to behold.

_"Then no use stalling myself."_

I quickly look back into my saddlebag, making sure I have everything I need. Nothing can be left behind; their lives might depend on it.

_"Herbs, check. Vegetables, check. Duct tape, check. Flowers, check. Books, check._

I flinch when I find the last items in my saddlebag. I hope I never have to use them, but better safe then sorry.

I pull out the broken shards of glass, the edges of them glistening in the bright sunlight. Their clear material makes them shine even more, almost blinding me when one of them reflects the sun directly into my eyes.

I shake it off, slipping them back into my backpack.

_"Self defense, check."_

I sigh to myself, taking in a deep breath, feeling the cool winter air fill my lungs. It one of the best things I find about the season, not the snow or the wind, just taking a giant gulp of the cool air after a long days work makes you feel like your being rewarded by the sky itself.

I slowly begin my journey into the small village, my hooves making a thumping sound every time I step over the grass. I pull my baseball cap down over my face before reaching the bridge connecting the town to the outside world, just enough so I can see but no one can make out the details of my face; no one needs to see my face.

The thumping sound increases tenfold as I hooves make contact with the tiny bridge. A mare passes by, an orange mare with blonde hair and a large Stetson covering her head. Three apples adorn her flank.

I nod in her direction; a gesture I hope that I hope makes me look somewhat inconspicuous. The mare looks down at me, nodding her own head in my direction as a tiny smile grows on her face.

_"Your doing great."_ I tell myself, reaching the end of the tiny bridge, taking my first step in a week into the graceful village.

I look around the town, seeing many ponies on their way to do something productive. Many stalls are set up, each one with a mare or stallion shouting things into the bustling street ahead, trying to attract customers.

_"Concentrate on the road ahead. Don't slow down unless…"_

My thoughts are shattered to microscopic particles when my ears pick up movement next to me. The flutter of wings.

I smile to myself once more, should have seen this coming.

"How are you today Soundwave?"

I turn my head to look up at the yellow Pegasus next to me, not bothering to hide my face from her. Her long pink mane flows down her back like a majestic waterfall of straight cotton candy. Her tail does the exact same thing, the pink going well with her bright blue eyes.

To summarize her looks, she's hot in more ways than one.

Though I've told her that a bunch of times, she's still the most self-conscience pony in the entire town, probably the entire country.

I nod my head to her, signaling to her as to answer her question.

She nods her head as well, a smile blooming on what I assume to be the cutest face I've ever seen. It brings a smile to my face as well, making her smile grow bigger when she sees it.

We trot along with each other, both of us knowing how one-sided the conversation is going to be. Not that Fluttershy minds.

"So I was wondering, " Fluttershy begins to say, looking down at me before continuing on, "Hearts and Hooves Day is tomorrow."

I nod my head to her, wondering what she is getting at.

Hearts and Hooves day to me is kind of complicated. I do have a special somepony, that much is true. The problem is she doesn't like leaving them alone for long periods of time, making going out very difficult.

Not that I mind.

"Are you going to take her to the dance?"

I stop directly in my tracks, causing her to stop with me. We've been though this conversation a bunch of times before.

I stare at her, wondering why she would ask such a ridiculous question.

"Oh come on, "The Pegasus says in her dulcet voice, "You know she loves to dance, and you two need to get out and enjoy yourselves. You barely go out at all, and when you do it's usually to a movie or something like that. Why not make her Hearts and Hooves day so much better for her, take some stress off her mind?"

In hindsight it isn't a bad idea. Doing something special with her would take a lot of stress off of her back.

I shrug my shoulders, causing her to sigh in defeat.

"Oh well, if I see you two there I'll make sure to say hi."

I smile at her one more time, sliding closer to nuzzle her front hoof. She once again smiles at the gesture, leaning down to nuzzle my cheek with her own.

"I'll see you around." She says, flying off to do something else when we finally reach my destination.

I sigh to myself one more time, before opening up the door to my destination. The light blue walls envelop my vision, my hooves again making that thumping sound as they come into contact with the wooden floor. Blankets and pillows litter the one room of the three-room building, tiny rattles and action figures lying over the bedspreads.

"Daddy!" I hear a voice yell, quickly levitating the saddlebag to the floor and tossing the hat off my head as I get tackled to the floor by four foals.

I silently chuckle to myself, hearing the laughter from all the children making a smile plaster onto my face. We all cuddle on the floor together, the fillies and colt all snuggling into me as a wrap my hooves around as many as I can.

The giggling from them always ends up putting a giant smile on my face. They're all so strong, not physically, but mentally. Taking the position they're in with stride.

It warms my heart.

"Alright alright, get off of him will you?" A voice calls from in front of me.

The foals all comply with the feminine voice, getting off of me and going back to running around and playing.

An orange hoof reaches out to me, and I take it slowly. After getting helped up to my hooves, I smile at the strongest one of them all.

"Thanks for the assist." I say to her, dusting myself off.

"No problem Wavey, it's been so long." The orange Pegasus says, her short purple mane having been actually groomed. Something is up.

"Did you actually groom yourself today?" I say, getting a soft punch in the side as I laugh.

"It's not everyday your dad comes home from a week-long adventure into the Everfree Forest. I thought you might like it." She says to me, her own smile making an imprint in my mind as she gives me a hug of her own.

I embrace her back, my one hoof running through her hair as she snuggles her head into my neck, whispering something into my neck.

"We all missed you Wavey, very very much."

I let go of the hug, giving her a tiny kiss on the forehead as tears start to trickle down her face. She looks directly into my eyes, and I slowly wipe the tears out of her eyes, causing her to blush a little.

"I… made up so many ideas in my head. So many ideas of how, "The filly hangs her head low, still sniffling, " of how you wouldn't come back. How you'd get injured out there, or you'd just… leave and never come back."

I embrace her one more time, the filly throwing her hooves around me and now bursting out into tears. I once again stroke her mane, feeling my fur get damp as she buries her head into my neck.

"I'm just happy your back." Scootaloo says, pulling herself out of the hug.

I watch one of the smaller fillies nuzzle against her, Scootaloo looking down at her, "Please don't be sad Scoot, we don't like to see you sad."

The orange filly smiles down at her, wiping some of the tears out of her eyes as she nuzzles the filly back, "Your right, thanks squirt."

"It's Daffodil!" The filly yells in frustration, only causing Scootaloo to burst into laughter.

The duo leave to go play in the room, my smile increasing as a bunch of the foals jump on top of her, the room echoing with laughter.

I pick my saddlebag back up, slowly trotting though an open door on the left into the kitchen.

There are three ponies in the room, one of them taller than me by a landslide, his brown skin, bald head and beating red eyes making him look more like a monster then a pony. The other one is only 2 years old, a dark yellow unicorn with bright green eyes. He is busy getting held in a chair by his mother, a 13-year-old with a mind that could put most adults and scholars to shame.

Her gray fur and orange eyes go together so well it hurts. The short red mane that is just long enough to cover her face when she wants to be alone, the small horn that adorns the top of her head, the beautiful smile she gives me when I tell a stupid joke or do something right.

She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

She looks up at me when she hears me trot into the room. The bigger pony nods his head at my sight, "Nice to see you back in one piece this time."

I smile back at him, my eyes quickly locking onto the filly that stole my heart and has no intention of giving it back.

She slowly gives the foal to the bigger stallion in the room, which happily takes him, putting him over his shoulder. The foal makes no move, making me believe it's sleeping.

She trots up to me, giving me a sly smile as I give her a quick peck on the lips. I smile back at her, again getting that same sly grin from her.

"It's great to see you again honey." She says to me, giving me a slight kiss on the cheek before backing up a little, looking at my saddlebag.

"What did you find on your trip?" She asks in that voice that I fell in love with, her angelic voice making my head spin.

I quickly levitate the saddlebag off of my back, opening both sides and pulling out the contents. Her eyes scan over what I found, her face donning another smile.

"Herbs, flowers, a shit ton of vegetables. This food should get us through another week or two. Counting up the other food we can get around the city and from the nice ponies in town, we can easily make through till mid-March."

She looks up at me once again, this time planting a big kiss right on my lips. Not one of those lust filled kisses, just a simple one that quickly takes my breath away.

"EWW! Mommy and daddy are kissing!"

The two of us quickly back away, turning around to see two of the fillies giggling at the door before running off into the other room.

The love of my life laughs quietly, not wanting to wake the infant in the room. I silently laugh with her, looking back down at the contents of the bag.

"What are these for?" She asks, pulling out the glass shards from the pile with her magic.

"I thought they could be used for cutting things or self-defense. You know Scootaloo gets bullied at school. Wouldn't be a bad idea for her to take one of these to school with her, in case those bullies get any bad ideas." I say to her, pulling out one of the books from the pile and opening it.

Her attention goes to the book, looking through the pages.

"It's a spell book for unicorns. It's full of advanced and beginner spells, wouldn't be hard to learn some of them." I tell her, watching her eyes grow wider as she takes in all the information.

"Where did you find it?" The big pony says to me, having put the unicorn into the third room, the room with all the cribs.

"I found it in the Everfree castle. The ancient library is full of many books, including teaching material." I say, pulling out a massive book that weighs way more than expected.

"What is that book?" She asks me, seeing how thick it actually is.

"Well, " I begin, moving next to her, her instincts kicking in and leaning her head on my shoulder, "Since most of the foals here are taught school by us, I thought I'd snag a book containing all things math and science. It even comes with practice problems."

"That's wonderful honey. This book will really be helpful."

I look over to her, seeing her soft gaze move over the book, and then back up to me. I wrap a hoof around her waist, causing her to giggle once more.

"You two are perfect for each other." The bigger pony says, his own smile plastered over his face.

She chuckles at the statement, and once again pecks me on the lips.

"Raven? Wavey?" Scootaloo says as she peaks her head through the door.

"Yes Scoot?" Raven says, her eyes moving over to the filly in the doorway.

"I was just wondering… do you think that you two could walk me to school? Just the three of us?"

I never answer the question, letting Raven do it for me, "I don't know sweetie, someone has to stay her and watch the kids."

Scootaloo's head drops, and stallion in the room quickly speaks up, "I can watch the kids for you until you return. You go with Scootaloo."

Raven's face goes to one of worry, "Are you sure? Maybe I should…"

I quickly silence her with a nuzzle, causing her face to light up once again, that same smile to come back to the real world.

"Alright, if you're sure you can do it, i'll be happy to Scoots you to school."

"YES!" The filly says, trotting out into the room to get her school supplies packed.

Seeing the smiling filly, it makes think of everything I have now. I got a beautiful special somepony, a bunch of foals who love me, and a stallion who helps out every step of the way. And as Raven, Scoots, and I all trot out of the schoolhouse, something popped into my head, and I laugh it off.

_"Oh how my life is something special."_

_**How was it for you? Like I said before, criticism will be most appreciated. I'll try to continue this story on a regular basis, but my job comes first. Anyway, the story might be confusing now, but wait till the next chapters, they'll explain it all.**_

_**Also, this story is supposed to be in present tense. If you find errors in the tense, please remember: I know English, I'm just not good at it.**_


	2. Cry For Help

"I'm really happy you two could walk me to school."

Raven and me look down at the orange Pegasus, my blank expression never-changing as Raven nudges my side, trying to get me to smile.

Raven should no better, I never budge.

"We're both happy that you asked us to join you." Raven says, nudging me again, this time much harder.

I pay no attention to it, my eyes only glancing over the filly's mane.

I quickly nudge Raven back, causing her to look at me like I just stabbed her in the side. I point over to Scoots mane, Raven eyeing me curiously.

"What's wrong Wavey?" She asks me, causing Scootaloo to look directly back at me, stopping in her place.

I crouch down on one knee, seeing as I'm about an entire head taller than her. She smiles at me, one of those fake smiles she does every now and then when she's hiding something.

My eyes lock onto hers, causing her to quickly back away from it.

"Scootaloo, "I say to her, my one hoof stroking her cheek, "What do you have in your mane?"

She quickly moves her head away from me, instead looking towards Raven. Her eyes also go over her, a peaceful gaze that causes Scootaloo to sigh.

"I – it's nothing dad. Nothing at all."

Bingo.

"Scootaloo, "I say to her again, this time gripping her shoulders gently and turning her head to look at me, "you're a horrible liar. All three of us know it. You show me what's in your mane, and I might let you keep it."

Scootaloo once again looks over to Raven, who slowly gets down on one knee next to me, smiling at the orange Pegasus. I turn my head, noticing some ponies looking at us suspiciously as they walk on by.

The Pegasus sighs one more time, nodding her head as she looks down in shame.

"Go ahead, take it out."

I nod my head as well, using my magic to brush through her hair. Her sad gaze never falters as I pull out the small object.

Raven's jaw drops slightly, me just shaking my head.

It was a shard of glass. It was really small compared to the other ones I had in my saddlebag, yet it was the sharpest of them all. A fast way to turn the tide of a fight.

"Scootaloo, what were you going to do with this?" Raven says, quickly raising her voice to the now completely cowering Pegasus.

I once again nuzzle the pony next to me, her eyes quickly moving over me.

"How about you let me handle this sweetie. I was always better with her." I quietly say, not wanting Scoots to be frightened any more than she was before.

Raven silently glares at me, one of those soul-piercing stares that's supposed to intimidate others and make them cover in fear. The stare breezes right past me, my blank expression quickly getting under her skin.

"Fine, "Raven says, slowly getting up on her hooves and backing up a foot, "Do what you want."

I pay no attention to the words as I once again turn towards the orange Pegasus, the filly finally looking back at me. My hoof once again moves towards her cheek, gently stroking it as her gaze goes back to Raven, who's looking down at her in anger and disappointment.

"Scootaloo, please look a me."

She doesn't try to look at me, her head once again moving to look towards the solid earth below. I was about to turn her head back up to look at me, until a drop of water falls off of her face. I watch the water slowly fall to the ground, splashing onto the earth below.

_"No words need to be said." _I think to myself, setting the sharp piece of glass down next to me and opening up my front hooves wide. The Pegasus wastes no time in throwing herself into my hooves, the dam bursting for the second time today, her head burying itself in my neck and trying to choke all the wind out of me with her death like grip. And this wasn't a quiet sob in any way, her loud sobbing quickly got a lot of passerby's attention. None of them came up towards them though, only trotting off to do what they need to do.

Raven's stare quickly dissipates, trotting over to stroke the crying fillies mane. Scoots only buries her head deeper into my chest, her uncontrollable sobbing showing no point in stopping. I gently stroke her back with one of my hooves, caressing her spine and tracing tiny circles into her back to calm her down.

"Ssh." I cooed to her, letting her let everything out. Scootaloo did just that.

It was a full two minutes of complete silence from Raven and me until the little filly finally peaks her head up, her crying slowing down to tiny sniffles.

"I – it's not fair!" She yells through her sobs, snuggling into my fur.

"What's not fair?" Raven asks, continuing to stroke the fillies mane and stare down anypony trying to get too close.

"My friends, m- my blank flank, my life!" She yells into my chest, not noticing a shadow of somepony behind her, one I've never seen before.

No one spoke until Scootaloo spoke up again, "M – me and my friends were getting bullied by D – Diamond Tiara yesterday."

The pony in front of me quickly flared her wings, her face quickly turning to an angry scowl.

_"Whoever this pony is, the stranger clearly hates her guts." _I think to myself, my attention turning back to the filly, her tears and sniffling having stopped altogether.

"I yelled at her, told her to back off and stay away from my friends."

Scootaloo's sobbing picked up once again, this time much lighter than before. The mare quickly knelt down behind the filly, reaching out to touch her shoulder. I quickly stare her down, pulling the filly closer to my chest. Whoever this mare is, she ain't laying a hoof on this filly.

The mare looks at me, giving a stare of her own. Raven stops stroking Scootaloo's mane, trotting in front of me and getting into an attack stance.

"What happened next Scoots?" I ask her, whispering into her ear.

"She… she threatened to cripple my friends. Wanted to break their hooves to teach them to not talk back to her."

Now that got my blood boiling.

"She said that she was going to do it at recess today. I - I want to protect them from her."

Raven looks back at Scootaloo, "Violence isn't the answer Scoots."

That did something to Scootaloo. The filly's face blossoms an angry glare that could cut through steel. She quickly pulls away from me, causing Raven to step back a bit from the sudden movement. Then the little filly does the unthinkable.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THE ANSWER THEN?"

The other mare trots next to me, quick to get out of Scootaloo's way. Raven recoils from the shout, backing away slowly from the approaching filly.

"YOU TELL ME THE FUCKING ANSWER! TELL ME WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF YOUR BEST FRIENDS WERE GOING TO GET INJURED FOR LIFE! TELL ME WHAT YOU WOULD DO? HUH? FUCKING TELL ME!"

If the people passing by didn't pay any attention now, they certainly did now. Raven's soft gaze never changes, her blank expression remaining the same.

Scootaloo quickly calms down from the outburst, falling to the ground to continue sobbing. Raven trots next to me, clearly stunned by the outburst.

This time the blue Pegasus trots up to Scootaloo, putting a hoof on its shoulder. The orange filly quickly looks up, her eyes going really wide, but no words coming out of her mouth.

"How about you tell me about this 'Diamond Tiara' squirt?" The stranger says, clearly concerned for the filly's safety.

Scootaloo nods her head, slowly getting to her hooves. I finally get back up on my hooves, standing still to watch what Scootaloo does.

"She's a bully from my school. All she does is bully us for our blank flank, or call us names. She thinks she's better than everyone else, and bullies everyone else. I was tired of it, and thought I would teach her not to mess with us anymore."

I smile down at the filly, the mare next to me doing the same thing.

"It's fine Scootaloo," I tell her, levitating the shard of glass into my mane, putting it in a position so it won't stab me if it shifts in its place, "you're a brave filly, and a great friend. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a friend."

The filly looks at me with a confused look, and so does Raven, "Your not mad at me?"

I shake my head, rubbing the fillies mane, "Of course. You decided to stand up for your friends and take action."

Scootaloo smiles again, throwing her hooves around me once again.

"Well Scoots, how about we go to school and figure out what to do about this filly." The stranger says, covering Scoots with a wing.

Scootaloo nods her head slowly, but not before Raven speaks up, "Excuse me, but who are you?"

The blue Pegasus looks back at the two of us, her face once again going into an angry glare, "I'm her best friend, Rainbow Dash. Who are you?"

"Were the ones who put food on her table and make sure she isn't living in a trash can." Raven says flatly, trotting up next to me and quietly nuzzling my side. I turn to her and give her a quick kiss on the cheek, making her light up like a pair of Christmas lights.

"Guy's… I'd know you'd love to meet each other and explain everything now, but I'm already 10 minutes late for school." Scootaloo says.

"Alright, we'll all go together." Rainbow Dash says, starting to run towards the direction of the schoolhouse. The rest of us join her as well, ignoring the stares we're getting from Scootaloo's screaming before.


	3. Thick Skull

"I'm here Ms. Cheerilee!" Scootaloo shouts as she gallops through the open threshold of the door, panting like she just ran a marathon. She quickly collapses on the ground from pure exhaustion, causing the purple earth pony to look up from whatever she is looking at her desk. The mare shows little remorse for the filly on the ground, instead letting out a sigh and getting out from behind her desk.

She quietly glances down at her, Scootaloo's breathing still not settling down. The orange filly looks up at her teacher, trying to control herself.

"Scootaloo, you've been late to my class before little filly. But those times it was only by a couple of seconds, "the teacher says, holding out a hoof to help up the heaving filly, who took the hoof with much thanks, "but this time you've already missed 12 minutes of my class. I don't want to hear any excuses from you this time young lady, I want to know why you're not coming to school on time, and I want to know now."

The purple mare looks up one more time, finding the rest of us watching her through the door. The room is completely empty of children, all of them must be outside in the recess yard. Her eyes scan over the group of us, especially me. I couldn't blame the teacher, I wasn't handsome in any sense of the word.

"Hello Rainbow Dash, "the teacher says, quickly recognizing the pony behind us, "what are you doing here?"

The rainbow haired mare behind us never looks at Cheerilee, instead giving a slight whisper, "I'll be outside with the others, making sure Applebloom and Sweetie Belle are alright."

I only nod my head, knowing that the teacher couldn't have heard our tiny exchange. The Pegasus quickly trots out the door, leaving the confused teacher alone with the two of us.

Raven is the first to speak up.

"Hello Ms. Cheerilee, my name i-" Raven starts to say, before Cheerilee interrupts her, a smile growing onto her face.

"Raven. And you must be Soundwave." Cheerilee says, watching the orange filly take in deep breaths and finally coming to short, controlled breaths. Raven slowly looks over at me, giving me that look that says 'does she know us from somewhere'?

The teacher looks at our confused faces, and starts to laugh, "Sorry about that, Scootaloo has told me a-lot about you two. Especially you, " she says, pointing a hoof at me.

Me and Raven simultaneously look down at Scootaloo, finding a tiny smile on her face, even a little blush across her cheeks. I trot forward and slowly ruffle the orange fillies mane, getting a loud giggle in response as she moves her head into my hoof, asking for me to continue.

"Well then, "Raven says, trotting up to the teacher and holding out a hoof, "it's very nice to meet you."

"Ditto." Cheerilee says, shaking Raven's hoof.

Scootaloo trembles under my hoof, gasping a little when my hoof slowly moves down her neck and to her left-wing, brushing it through her tiny feathers. She looks up at my face, her smile growing to enormous proportions, snuggling into my body.

"You two are adorable together," Cheerilee says, chuckling at the sight before her, "But let's stop ignoring the question here. Why are you two here? I never thought you two would come out for a family day."

That got my gears turning. Me and Raven quickly turn towards Scootaloo, who is now cowering under our combined glares.

"I want to spend some time with the both of you. Either Wavey's out collecting stuff in the forest, or Raven's too wrapped up with everypony else. I never get to see the two of you anymore and it bugs me to know end." The filly says, continuing to cower from us.

I nod in acceptance, she wasn't wrong. Me and Raven barely had anytime for the two of us, being with all the fillies and colts. That being said,the two of us hanging out with Scootaloo herself seems near to impossible.

But this isn't a happy matter.

I turn to look at Raven, who is now staring into space, her eyes really wide as if her brain just exploded.

"Scootaloo, listen, "I say to her, taking the filly across the room for a bit, whispering into her ear so that no one else can hear us, "I know you want to spend time with us, and I'm really happy you brought me along, but you knew for a fact Raven hates being around ponies she doesn't know." I tell her, locking her in place with my hooves, my face actually growing very serious.

"But da-"

"**No. Buts.** You saw what happened last time she was in a group of strangers, remember? A group of only **3** ponies tried to start a conversation with her and she pissed herself on the spot, sprinting back home and crying for the rest of the day. Now I know how much this means to you, but if Raven doesn't want to stay then she doesn't have to. Understand?"

Scootaloo tries to reason with me through her cute faces, the ones that any other time would get me to do whatever she wanted. But not this time, this is serious shit. My blank stare turns into a **soul-crushing glare**, causing her to instantly cower once more, a scared expression on her face.

I turn back towards Raven, who is still staring into space, her legs quivering. Cheerilee is now concerned for not just her, but the hiding filly I just had a nice chat with. I quickly wrap my hooves around her waist, pulling her into a hug and kissing her forehead, trying to snap her out of it.

It works.

"O- o- other po- ponies." She slowly says to me, causing me to squeeze even tighter. I can hear her heart on overdrive, thumping so fast and loud I think Scootaloo could hear it from the other side of the room.

"Raven, listen to me, "I tell her, my hooves moving from hugging her to keeping her head locked in place, her eyes darting around frantically, "are you listening to me honey?"

Her eyes stop for a moment and lock with mine, pure fear and terror clearly present.

"You don't have to stay. You want to go back home, go right ahead. What Scootaloo tricked you into must be unfathomable for you, and I completely understand. I'll stay here with her, maybe knock some sense into that thick skull of hers."

I say the last part out loud, once again turning back towards Scootaloo and giving a massive glare. She continues to cower.

I turn back towards Raven, looking back into her eyes, "Please, I don't want to see you suffer. You need to leave, go right ahead. I'll see you later, alright?" I tell her, finishing with a small peck on the lips.

She looks at me one more time, before quickly barreling out the open door and down the street.

I quickly sigh to myself, looking back at Scootaloo and trotting towards the shaking filly. I help her up onto her hooves again, watching her stare at me in an entirely different light.

Cheerilee looks out the door, before turning back to me. Instead of the piercing gaze I expected to get from her for terrorizing the filly in front of me, she looks at me with a comforting gaze.

Silence enters the room for what seems like forever. No pony dare make a sound.

Until Cheerilee broke it.

"Is she alright, "She asked, once again looking out the door to see if she can see Raven, "She looked like she was about to suffer a stroke."

I never turn my head towards her. I only embrace the filly in front of me, who's confused gaze breezes right past me as I tighten my grip on her.

"She doesn't like strangers." I said flatly, letting go of Scootaloo after what seemed like forever. Cheerilee never questions my answer, only nodding slowly before going outside herself.

"I think you've been through enough today, "I tell her, watching her eyes finally look back at me, "I'm not going to yell at you anymore. I understand why you did it, and I forgive you. You just have to realize that Raven isn't shy around other people, she isn't uncomfortable either, she's **completely terrified**. I need you to understand this Scoots, you're a smart filly, we both know it."

The orange mare slowly nods her head, a deadpanned look spreading through her face like a virus.

"I... I di- didn't mean," She begins to say, before I swiftly pull her back into a hug, stroking her mane and making noises to calm her down.

"I know you didn't mean for this to happen, none of us did. Just make sure that you apologize greatly to her next time you see her, she'll really appreciate it."

Scootaloo slowly looks up at me, her smile starting to come back. I laugh, once again rubbing the fillies mane.

The two of us stand up quickly, brushing the event off until a later time, "Now how about you finally introduce me to your 'Cutie Mare Crusaders'?"

She nods happily, galloping out the door, me following close behind her.


	4. Standing Up

_"For a family day, there sure are many grown-ups here." _I think to myself as I walk out into the bright sunlight with Scootaloo right beside me, trying to forget the events that happened only minutes ago. I look over the play-yard, finding many of the fillies and colts playing with one another, most of them spending time in their respected groups. Th adults are either talking with one another or playing with who I assume are their children.

I look down at my little angel, the filly scuffing at the ground beneath her, like she's waiting for permission to play.

"Are you going to go and play with your friends?" I ask, nudging her side with a hoof.

Scoots shakes her head, breaking out of whatever trance she is in. The filly looks up at me with confusion, "What?"

"I said, "starting to chuckle at the fillies forgetful nature, "Are you going to go play?"

She nods once more, galloping away from my sight to go over to a group of fillies. I sigh to myself, watching the Pegasus begin to chat with them before they run off to play tag.

_"Now it's my turn to find something to do, "_I say to myself, looking around for a nice spot to sit down and relax. All that time in the Everfree Forest has really done number on my mind, and all this yelling and crying is too much to handle right now. My eyes quickly spot a brown object through the maze of ponies, a long brown object.

A Stenson hat.

Moving through the maze and ducking under a frisbee that is hellbent on taking my head off, I finally find the same orange pony as last time, only this time with another mare, a white unicorn that I can already tell is someone I won't like. The way she talks already puts me off, and the way she's the only pony sitting on what looks like a couch cushion form a solid hypothesis in me that she's one of those 'high class' Canterlot types. Her cutie mark is of three diamonds.

I trot over to them, sitting down next to the fence that fences in the play-yard so that I'm far enough as to not disturb the two, but close enough to hear them and to get some shade from the dead tree above.

"Honestly Applejack, I can't _believe_ how you manage to keep yourself so... dirty." The white mare says, enforcing the phrase by backing away from the farm pony a little.

"Well, little miss clean-freak, "the apple farmer retorts back, pushing up her Stetson a little so her eyes are visible, "Unlike you I happen to love getting my hide all dusty and whatnot. The dirtier it gets, the more effort I put into my job, which I had to do before I came here." She snaps back, once again pulling the hat over her eyes.

"But App-"

I stopped listening into the conversation, closing my eyes to take it all in. The sound of idle conversations from adult and child alike, the yells and cheers of fillies and colts as they run around having the times of their lives.

_"I just need to think about thi-"  
_

My thoughts never get too far as hoofsteps close in, stopping in front of me. I never open up my eyes, hoping that whoever this pony is will get the hint and buzz off. The footsteps don't pick up until a minute later, the pony in question sitting down next to me. No words are spoken, no words needed to be said. I already know who it is.

"What's wrong with her?"

I finally open my eyes, never looking at the purple mare. Judging by her shadow, she never turns her head either.

"Which one, Raven or Scootaloo?"

Now her head turns toward me, obviously concerned about the comment I made. I pick up my head, looking over at the orange filly, my daughter whom I love very much. Not biologically related, but it doesn't change the fact at all. The mare follows my head to her, chuckling to herself.

"The one who almost suffered a heart attack in my classroom." She says to me, her blank expression never faltering as she slightly nudges my side, trying to get me to look at her.

"Why is it so important to you?"

"Because, "she says to me, finally moving in a way to force me to look at her, a gaze that could cut through steel, "It is my duty as a teacher to make sure my students aren't just given an education, but make sure they're taken care of properly as well, and to report the parents to authorities if otherwise. You already rub me the wrong way, and Scootaloo's so-called 'mother' almost died when the mentioning of strangers. I understand that you take care of fillies and colts who never had a family of their own, and I respect that fully, but if she has some sort of mental disorder or anything that will jeopardise the life of my student, you will need to tell me or get her checked out or I will have to report her to the Royal Guard."

_"Dammit, Cheerilee must have rehearsed this a bunch of times in a mirror." _I think to myself, forcing myself to stare into her eyes, her gaze instantly softening when she sees me and the angry glare that dwarfs hers by a mile.

"Xenophobia."

Her softening gaze terminates instantly afterwards, leaning back against the fence posts like me, trying to comfort me by putting a hoof over my shoulder which I instantly throw off of me.

"I don't need your sympathy." I spit at her, my words seething with rage. The purple earth pony backs away slightly from my outburst, slight fear eminating from her face. I try to continue my assault, until I was interrupted by an orange filly.

"Hey Wavey, I want you to meet... my... friends."

The filly quickly sees the anger that's plastered to my face, my whole body tensing up as if getting ready to fight to the death. Her teacher never falters though, instead getting up slowly and brushing the dust and dirt off of her fur.

"We'll continue this conversation later." She says in a nice tone, trotting away to discuss things with the other adults. My eyes follow her the entire way, before my vision moves back to Scoots.

"D- did I interrupt anything dad?" She says in a confused tone, her body tensing up as well, as if she's expecting me to hit her. My anger quickly subsides after that, instead a smile creeping back onto my face. That in turn causes Scootaloo to smile as well, her adorable little smile.

"Your fine Scoots, you didn't interrupt anything. Just your teacher sticking your muzzle somewhere she doesn't belong." I say, the malice and hate in my voice dissipating away. Scootaloo chuckles at the comment, her contagious laughter causing me to laugh as well. I once again pat the spot next to me, the orange blur passing my vision as she sits down next to me, leaning against my fur.

We remain in this pose for well over 5 minutes, my hoof unconsciously stroking Scootaloo's mane as she sighs in content, snuggling further and further against my green fur. The orange Pegasus turns her head to look at me, and I look down at her, watching her curious gaze.

"Something wrong Scoots?"

"Nothing's wrong, "The filly admits to me, slowly sighing to herself again, "I just wish we could do this more often."

"You know I wish for the same thing Scoots, but with doing everything that needs to be done, I just don't have the time anymore."

She slowly nods her head, donning an expressionless face to hide her emotions from me. It isn't until another voice appears in front of us that the two of us pay attention to anything else around us.

"'There you are Scootaloo! You ran off without... us."

In front of me are two fillies, one earth pony with light yellow and bright red mane, a tiny bow making her look that much cuter. Her southern accent clearly tells me who she's related to. Then there's the other one, a unicorn. If she doesn't look like that other stuck up mare from before, someone call me blind. Her marshmallow colored body and light purple mane are dead giveaways of sisterhood to the one talking with Applejack.

My eyes lock with the white one, her tiny horn glowing with a really light green aura.

"So Scootaloo," I say, my eyes never leaving the filly," you mind introducing them to me?"

"These are my friends, Applebloom, "She points to the yellow filly, who curtsies towards me, "and Sweetie Belle."

The white filly tries to copy Applebloom with her curtsy, but ends up falling flat on her face. I chuckle softly to myself, which doesn't go unnoticed by the orange Pegasus, who lets out a chuckle of her own. Applebloom lets out a torrent of laughter before reaching a hoof out to help out her dazed friend. The silence quickly returns, all of us looking at each other.

"Hey blank flanks!"

We all turn around to see the exact pony who Scootaloo described on the way to school. A pink earth pony with an angry grin that could shut out the sun, a tiny tiara on top of her mane. She is walking towards us with a gray earth pony, a tiny filly with glasses and a spoon as her cutie mark. She's trying to look tough, but underneath that false expression is a scared foal ready to sprint at a moment's notice.

_"So pathetic."_

Sweetie Belle quickly gets into an attacking stance, her horn lighting up even more, trying to look intimidating. Scootaloo quickly gets up, sliding in next to Sweetie Belle, Applebloom following shortly afterwards. I tuck myself into the shadows, my horn lighting up on instinct.

_"Step 1: Observe your prey."_

"What do you want?" Scootaloo says, looking back to try to find me. Noticing I disappeared causes sweat to slowly make its way down her forehead, but she quickly regains her composure, turning to confront the tiny filly in front of her.

The pink fillies gaze turns into a glare, the stronger her glare gets, the more magic that flows into my horn. I slowly lick my lips, the thrill of the hunt coursing through my veins, my mind racing with pure adrenaline. The pink filly thinks she's going to harm my daughter, she wants to cripple her and her friends. Maybe a little intimidation is in order.

"Oh you no, just looking at a bunch of losers." The filly says, her eyes looking around for any witnesses. She never notices me behind the tree, watching her, observing her.

Stalking her.

_"Step 2: Wait for the perfect moment to strike."_

"I guess the same thing could be said by me." Applebloom says slowly, a blank expression forming on her face. The filly looks back towards her sister, who is still talking to the white unicorn, oblivious to the situation.

The comment gets a chuckle out of the pink filly, the grey one letting out an awkward laugh. She is also looking around for witnesses, a pitiful tactic that won't save them from me.

"So how's your quest to get your cutie marks? You know it will never happen at this rate." She says for probably the millionth time. I look behind the tree, noticing a tiny rock next to me. My smirk grows into a devilish grin as I levitate it next to me, a plan already forming in my clouded mind.

"I don't know why you're so keen on calling us blank flanks."

The four all turn to Scoots, who right now is sporting a grin even I can't mimic. Her eyes soften from the intimidating stare she had to a more soft gaze, losing her fighting stance.

"You two aren't any better than us."

Once again the pink filly laughs, the grey filly slowly backing away from the encounter when she notices some ponies watching the standoff. One less pony to take out.

"Of course we are, "She says getting closer to the Pegasus, "We're richer, more popular, and of course, we have our cutie marks."

Scootaloo never flinches at the approaching filly. Instead she deepens her smirk, even going so far as to laugh in the earth pony's face.

"Then tell me Diamond Tiara, "She says, looking back at her friends before speaking up once more, "What does your cutie mark mean?" The group quickly returns to silence, the pink filly backing up a little from the simply innocent question she wasn't expecting. Applebloom's expression turns to a smirk as well, advancing on the bully.

"Yeah Diamond Tiara, your _clearly _better than us with your cutie mark, "Applebloom says, eyeing up the still retreating filly, "Why don't you tell us what makes you so special?"

Sweetie Belle's horn never lets up as she watches her two friends advance on the pony who's ruined her childhood up to this point. She looks to the left of her, noticing Diamond Tiara's dad, who was watching the entire encounter from the start. Now even Sweetie couldn't hold back a smirk.

_"Optional step: Influence the world around you to your advantage._

I quickly let my plan go into action, changing up my strategy and dropping the rock. My horn quickly lights up, and I watch the white unicorn very closely, checking to see if the spell works. She quickly grabs her head with her front hooves, allowing the flow of magic into her head and trying to take control.

A few seconds later, the unicorn looks up at her horn, seeing it glowing brighter than it ever has before. She curiosity reaches its peak when her entire body stiffens instantly, her mind trying to comprehend the immediate transfer of information flowing into her cranium. I smirk once more, sending her megabytes of information. Only two spells that she never knew before, but now could perform like she's been practicing them for years. A simple magic and info transferring spell for the pony who will settle the argument once and for all.

The unicorn recoils a little, her mind reeling from the influx of info. Then she smirks once more, her mind focusing on one spell.

"Well..." The pink filly begins, trying to think clearly and hard about the subject, "It means... um, well its supposed to mean," The filly never answers before Scootaloo laughs loudly, attracting more attention.

"All these years of bullying us about not having out talents, and you don't even know what yours means! That's not sad, that's just pitiful!" she howls out between laughter.

"Meaning she's not a blank flank, she's just talentless." Applebloom says, adding insult to injury for the angry earth pony. At this time Sweetie Belle slowly advances towards the bully, passing the other two and trotting up to the earth pony who is now blistering with anger.

"Face it Diamond, "Sweetie says, eyeing up the mare like Applebloom did moments before, "Your destiny is to be lower than everyone else. No wonder your father's always gone on business trips, so he doesn't have to be close to his worthless embarrassment of a daughter."

Even I'm surprised by that outburst, the crowd agreeing with me as gasps and shocked expressions. The fillies aren't who they were minutes before, there changed by the pent-up anger and hatred that is finally coming out to play. The three are relentless, laughing at the defenseless filly like they've been wanting to do for so long.

"SHUT UP!"

The pink pony quickly stands up on her two hooves, using all of her force to throw a punch at Sweetie Belle. The unicorn is ready for it, and without using her gaze makes a shield in front of her. Shield spells aren't that complicated when you get the jest of it. The more magic up use on the shield to support it, the denser and harder the shield is. Making a big shield requires a lot of magic, which is why big shields aren't as hard to break through. Meaning the tiny shield Sweetie made for herself combined with the intense magic I gave her gives it the feeling of punching a mountainside.

When the fillies hoof connects with the shield, she instantly falls over on her back, yelling in pain from the almost broken bone and pain searing up her hoof. I get out from behind the tree finally, moving across the schoolyard towards the exit. Applebloom and Scootaloo's faces instantly soften when they see Sweetie Belle advance on the pony.

Her horn lights up once more, using her magic to hold down the fillies hooves. Diamond Tiara begins to tear up at the pain in her hoof, and her eyes grow to the size of saucers when they see Sweetie's massive glare and grin, the filly moving her head closer to Diamond's.

"You know Diamond, the three of us could be bullies too." She says, her eyes flaring. Applebloom and Scootaloo quickly move next to their friend, the two of them also glaring down at the filly, their eyes boring down on her.

"I can see it now, "Scootaloo says, playing along with the act, "teasing and tormenting Diamond Tiara day after day, ruling the school and making everyone else feel below us."

"Doesn't that sound fun Diamond, "Applebloom says, getting closer to the now cowering filly, "Huh, DOESN'T IT SOUND FUN?!"

"Girls."

The three instantly back off, Sweetie's spell dissipating instantly as Cheerilee stands over them. Cheerilee looks down at the group, and then back at Diamond Tiara, who's tough exterior is completely shattered by the trio. The sobbing filly tries to wipe away her tears, but the flood of moisture never ceases up, continuing to cascade down her face.

"Usually I would have to suspend you from school for a couple of days for the act you just did, "The teacher states, before a small grin that only the CMC could see appears on her face, "but seeing as Diamond Tiara has been doing this to you for years, I feel as if getting a little payback isn't so much of a crime. And considering that Diamond Tiara yelled at you three first and threw the first punch, I'm going to let your family members here today decide the punishment for you."

The two crusaders look back at their family, who are already trotting into the schoolhouse along with Diamond Tiara's father. Cheerilee help's the filly off the ground, who takes it slowly, getting helped up to her feet. I trot next to my daughter, the orange mare winking at me as I ruffle her mane, he two of us trotting into the schoolhouse with the other crusaders behind us.

_"Steps accomplished: target terminated."_

**People, I haven't been getting these out regularly, and I'm going to apologize her for it. The ruckus in Ukraine is really putting a damper on things.**


	5. Medical Treatment

Me and Scootaloo both trot into the classroom. A dead silence is hanging above everyone in the tiny building, the unfathomable quietness so thick you could cut through it with a machete. All the adults in the room are staring at me, their expression varying drastically.

The farm pony's gaze isn't what id expect from someone of her nature. Her legs are currently crossed as her hair slowly flows in the wind that is going full blast through the open door. Her very laid back posture is something that she is known all around town for. Her Stetson hat is on the desk opposite of her, the hat itself beginning to flutter in the wind. It never leaves the desk though, and after a tiny pause, the mare's soft gaze goes down to her sister, the yellow filly now standing next to Scootaloo. The expression on the fillies face is one of uncertainty, an expression I know all to well.

The white pony in the room is standing next to the Applejack, trying to act like the country mare next to her. The only problem is she's failing miserably at it, her stare trying to breach the inner sanctum of my mind and utterly obliterate everything inside. She's in a stance that one would take if they were trying to fail at a one on one fight, her front hooves bent down like she's ready to pounce at me if I make a sudden move. She should know better, I'm not the most dangerous pony here.

My eyes move down to Scootaloo, who at this point is staring up at me. I chuckle at her thought process, leave it to the only teenager in the entire building to try to handle the situation.

"Alright everypony."

The voice that finally shattered the silence came from the teacher, her voice as calm as it was the first time I met her.

"We all know why we're here. Who wants to speak up first?"

"Actually Mrs. Cheerilee, I think I'll do that."Applejack says as Sweetie Belle literally limps through the door, shivering from the wind like she's suffering from hypothermia. Scootaloo instantly gallops over to her, putting a wing over her back to try and warm her up some more. The tiny unicorn welcomes the affectionate gesture with on her own, cuddling into the heat source next to her. Everyone watches the scene unfold, some ponies enjoying it more than others.

"Sweetie Belle, are you alright?" Scootaloo says, sounding completely and utterly concerned for the still shivering unicorn. The only pony she's ever acted this concerned about is me, and even then she was never this affectionate, thinking it as 'uncool'.

"I- I'm fine." Sweetie Belle says, her voice raspy and weak as her legs suddenly give out on her, causing her body to slam into the floor. The filly whines in pain as Scootaloo's serious face goes even more serious, the orange Pegasus laying down next to her friend and cuddling harder into her, once again draping a wing over the surprisingly mentally strong filly, even going so far as to start stroking her head slowly.

"Rarity, "Applejack says, turning around to face the mare, "What in tarnation did you give this filly?"

"What do you mean Applejack?" The white asshat responds, currently looking away from her little sister, not wanting to see her in so much pain.

"What do I mean? WHAT DO I MEAN!? Just yesterday Sweetie Belle could barely levitate a broom! Now she just poofs up a shield spell strong enough to almost shatter that fillies hoof!" Applejack yells, pointing over to Diamond Tiara, who is currently laying on her dad's back, her crying having stopped at the start of the conversation. "What kind of magic steroids are you giving this filly?!"

Rarity never misses a beat, instantly going on the defensive, "Steroids! How can you accuse me of something so... uncouth! A nice, fashionable lady like me has no need for such vile drugs!" The unicorn snaps back.

"ENOUGH!"

The yell echoes throughout the room, causing everyone to go completely silent. All eyes go to Applebloom, the tiny filly looking over at her sister with a rage that I don't think even I could get into.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO! Sweetie Belle is over there crying her eyes out, and the only thing you two idiots have been doing is letting poor Soundwave figure out the problem himself. Now maybe if you two 4 year olds could grow a pair and actually act your age, we might be able to see what's wrong with her!"

Even I turn my head to look at the earth pony, the filly seething with rage and hate. Applejack and Rarity quickly shut their traps, Applejack's mouth agape at the snorting filly in front of her. Guess she's never seen this side of her sister before.

"Applebloom."

The voice instantly calms down Applebloom, her head turning to the fellow crusader who is currently bawling in the floor, her front hooves holding her stomach as she lets out another howl of pain. Scootaloo's serious face has now gone to crying for her friend, the tiny tears hitting the solid floor as she continues to hug her fellow crusader.

"I'll go get help." Cheerilee states, bolting for the door. She doesn't get far when I quickly speak up.

"No need."

Cheerilee stops in her tracks, her eyes moving over to me as I trot up to the pained filly, Scootaloo giving me a nod as she let's go of her best friend. Sweetie Belle looks up at me, the pain never giving her room to breathe as she howls out again.

"Magic termination."

Everyone in the room now looks over at me, my horn lighting up to cast a magic transfer spell.

"Magic termination? What is that?" Diamond Tiara's dad says, finally joining in the conversation as he sets the now sleeping Diamond Tiara on top of a desk, trotting over to join the other three adults.

"Is it fatal?" Scootaloo yells, trying to run over to Sweetie Belle again. This time, Applebloom grabs the orange filly from behind, using her brute strength to hold the Pegasus back. Scootaloo instantly starts flailing in her grasp, beginning to flail randomly and trying to hit the yellow filly behind her.

"LET ME GO!" Scootaloo yells, trying with all of her might to get out of the earth ponies grasp. Applebloom never lets up though, the repeated hits Scootaloo delivers to her chest and legs not even causing her to flinch.

"Scootaloo, let Soundwave do what he needs to do!" The yellow filly yells, finally getting annoyed with her orange friend. She uses all of her strength to yank her back, maneuvering her hooves in such a way that she traps the Pegasus in a sleeper hold. Scootaloo isn't stupid, and instantly backs off, fearing what it's like to be choked into a state of unconscienceless.

The filly nods over to me, and I nod in return, turning over to the filly in front of me.

"Sweetie Belle, listen to me. I need you to keep complete eye contact with me, alright? I promise the pain will soon go away, you just need to trust me."

The white filly instantly stares into my eyes, allowing me to hold her head steady with my hooves to make sure she doesn't start moving again. The fear is clear in her eyes, and I continue to stare into those eyes as I move my head forward, my horn touching with hers.

At first nothing happens. Everyone around the room looks at me, hoping that I know what I'm doing. Then everyone watches as something green starts moving in Sweetie Belle's eyes, a wave of magic flowing up to her horn as it gets drained from her body. She begins to get scared, trying to move her head away. I clamp my front hooves tighter to the sides of her face, forcing her to stay where she is.

"All I see is green! W- what's happening to me!" The filly says, her tears of pain quickly changing to pure terror as she thinks she's going blind.

"Only ten more seconds, you're doing great." I whisper into her ear, trying to keep her spirits up. The filly only nods her head, sitting motionless as I finish the spell. The green aura in her eyes is now gone, and the filly starts to blink. I slowly remove my hooves from her head, wanting to make sure I didn't damage any part of her brain.

"Okay Sweetie Belle, one more thing needs to be done. Tell me, "I say to her, moving my two front hooves behind my back as I move into a sitting position, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Sweetie Belle shakes her head, before smiling up at me. She begins to laugh at the ridiculous question, a smile appearing on her face when she realizes the pain is gone. I smile back at her, before gasping as the filly throws herself at me, me having barely enough time to blink before I topple over, laughing along with the now happy unicorn.

"Ponies don't have fingers!" she yells in laughter, her hooves wrapping around my chest as she tries to give me a death hug.

At the sign of her friend being better, Applebloom removes her grip from Scootaloo, the orange filly quickly galloping over to her friend. Sweetie Belle gets off of me as she unwraps her hooves from me, bracing herself as Scoots tackles her to the ground.

Applebloom joins in their rough-housing soon enough, and I laugh at the trio before I finally get back on my feet, brushing the dust off of me before I trot over to one of the desks, sitting down and watching the group play around.

"What happened?" Diamond's dad says, oblivious to everything that just happened.

"Magic termination is a very serious condition, and can be fatal if not treated within 4 to 8 hours, "I begin to say, watching Rarity's face change to one of horror when she realizes her sister could have died if I wasn't in the room, "It happens when a unicorn inserts stronger magic than the recipient's magic directly into a unicorns body, causing a sort of fight between the two magic sources. When neither of them can win the fight, the first thing they do is try to take as much of the body as they can for themselves, both sides trying to take control of the unicorn's magic receptors."

"Like a fight for dominance?" Cheerilee says, trying to understand the concept.

"Exactly. The 'fighting' is mainly done in the stomach area. The two magics pushing against each other, trying to force one of the others out through any opening in the body. Normally, the fighting in the body wouldn't even be able to be felt, but when the magic reacts with the stomach acid, that's when it gets painful." I say, continuing to watch Rarity try to process the information.

"That explains why she was clenching her chest." Applejack says, taking all the information in stride.

I nod, "She's a lucky one. Usually the pony is knocked unconscious, causing my simple spell to be negated due to the fact I need eye contact to make sure it's working. Then you need some emergency room level stuff, with many doctors and unicorns trying more... 'gory' measures. Most of them involving tens to hundreds of stitches, sometimes even thousands."

Everyone's head moves over to Sweetie Belle, who is running around with the other crusaders. Each one of them tries to imagine her beautiful white fur covered in blood, big black stitches covering her body as she limps down the street, her hair a frazzled mess as her disfigured face frightens everyone that passes her.

"That's not the worst of it. The tragic part is when they begin to fight in the brain. The reaction is instant, causing things from convulsions to seizures to immediate shutdown of the brain. The fact that Sweetie Belle didn't faint after that use of the spell is incredible, considering she's never used a spell that powerful before."

I watch as Sweetie Belle lights us her horn once more, combining her levitating power with her physical strength to push-off Applebloom and Scootaloo, who have started to dogpile on top of her. The two of them fell off instantly, Sweetie Belle getting up and sprinting away before the others could jump on her again.

"Her impressive mental state of mind is what kept her alive," I finally finish, looking up at Rarity, whose expression has completely changed. A comfortable, happy grin is now on her face, kind of like that smile ponies get right after childbirth.

"I... I guess I'd never knew how much danger she was in. I can't thank you enough." The stuck-up pony says, the tiny smile on her face growing in size.

"Don't mention it." I say to her, glad to put this all behind us.

"You know what everypony, "Applejack begins with, getting everyone's attention, including the crusaders, "I think this calls for a celebration. Not everyday a teenager saves the life of a filly!"

"I couldn't agree more, "Cheerilee says, a smile on her face as well, "what you have done here is truly amazing! I know I was a little harsh on you before, and at first I kind of thought you were one of those 'dark thinking' kind of ponies, but it seems I was wrong about you."

"You shouldn't be worried about me Cheerilee, " I say, pointing over to Scootaloo once more. The mare looks confused at first, until her eyes go wide in enlightenment.

_What's wrong with her?_

_Which one? Raven or Scootaloo?_

Cheerilee' eyes slowly sweep over the Pegasus, analyzing everything about the pony. The teacher quickly shakes the thoughts out of her head though, and for good reason.

"Anyway, how about all of us go to Twilight's house and meet up with the rest of the group. Maybe Pinkie Pie will agree to throw you a party." Applejack says, beginning to trot out the door.

"Actually, if you adults don't mind, I'd like to talk to Scootaloo in private before we all go."

Everyone quickly nods their heads beginning to trot out the door. I pull Scootaloo aside for a moment, the filly looking up at me with mild curiosity.

"Is something wrong dad?" Scootaloo says, watching my horn glow once more. The fillies eyes grow to the size of saucers when she sees the shard of glass from earlier, as I slowly put it in her mane so it doesn't poke her.

"In case your teacher tries anything funny." I whisper to the filly.

Scootaloo nods to me, an I silently nod back, giving her a fast peck on the forehead before trotting outside, where everyone else is completely oblivious to what just happened only moments ago.


	6. Definition Of Insanity

"Alright Scootaloo," Cheerilee starts off as she sits down at her desk, folding her front hooves across the hard wood surface, "How about you sit down at the desk right over there, this will only take a moment, I promise."

Scootaloo doesn't hesitate at all, happily trotting over to the desk and sitting in the wooden chair, her hooves swinging happily beneath her. Cheerilee notices the fillies blank stare, Scootaloo looking over at the wall and thinking deeply about something.

**_"Step one: Intimidate your foes."_**

"Scootaloo."

The orange filly quickly snaps out of her trance, a small maniac like smirk going unnoticed by her smiling teacher. The filly moves her head to look over at her teacher, a stare that would make most ponies and possibly other lifeforms cringe in creepiness and the feeling that there was someone else in the room, stalking them without giving away its position. The fillies smirk grows even more when her teacher flinches under the uncomfortable stare.

The mare shakes off the feeling though, finally ready to ask her first question.

"What do you think about Soundwave?"

Scootaloo leans back in her chair, surprising the teacher with the sudden mood shift. Cheerilee was half expecting the tiny filly to burst out of her chair, chanting exaggerations and shouting to the heavens about how wonderful her dad is. Seeing the direct opposite happening right in front of her eyes is something she wouldn't have expected from someone like Scootaloo, the filly she was always able to read like a book. If the filly is trying to hide something, whether it be emotions or the truth, Cheerilee knew about it just from looking at her for a good second. The teacher's become so good at reading the orange Pegasus that she's begun to accurately predict her movements and even test scores.

The fact that she couldn't do this now didn't scare her.

It terrified her.

"He's alright."

Cheerilee analyzes the filly time after time, trying to see what she's feeling, what she's thinking. It was so easy for her before...

So why not now?

"I'm going to need more than that Scootaloo, "Cheerilee says to the filly, trying to hide her terrified expression under a blank one, "tell me how you really feel about him, no lying. You're a terrible liar."

_"Not a terrible liar, just great at acting." _The orange filly thinks, happy to see how much her plan has worked over the years. The filly chuckles to herself, imagining Cheerilee's facial expression after the mental homicide she's about to commit.

**_"Step two: Lead up to the conclusion."_**

"Well, "Scootaloo says, her tiny smirk disappearing as she prepares her payload, a blank face covering her emotions as she stops leaning in the chair, folding her hooves on the desk like Cheerilee, "he understands me the most out of everyone. He's taught me many lessons that still carry with me today, and I respect him as much as he respects me."

Cheerilee nods her head, trying to dig deeper, "What kind of lessons?"

"For one, he taught me what kind of berries in the wild are poisonous and which kind are safe for consumption." Scootaloo says, watching her teacher's movements before looking down at the table. The filly watches her eyes get slightly wider out of the corner of her eye, like the teacher came to some sort of realization.

_"Consumption?__ I've never heard such vocabulary from her before. In fact_, I haven't heard it from any_ of my students before. No wonder Language Arts is one of her stronger classes." _The teacher thinks to herself, piecing together a new picture of the filly before her, trying to read the Pegasus's emotions.

"That's actually very useful to know, "Cheerilee comments, happy to know her student is learning important things outside of her class, "Is there anything else he taught you?"

"Never get too comfortable."

Cheerilee's happy smile transforms into one of uneasiness, getting that feeling of being watched again. The teacher wants to close her eyes and collect her thoughts, but realizes that might not be the best idea when she see's Scootaloo's body go stiff, her back hooves stopping their swaying motion altogether.

"And why is that?"

Scootaloo stops staring at the desk, her head moving up to meet the teacher's confused gaze.

"Because Life is like a big bully. Life is the kind of creature that always likes to sneak up on you when you're not expecting it and punch you in the face with something terrible. You could be having the best day ever and Life could come out of nowhere and utterly destroy you. Life is relentless, heartless, and doesn't give a single fuck about what you want."

Cheerilee listens to the filly, the words going through her head over and over. She is about to comment before Scootaloo startles her by slamming her front hooves on the table and standing up in her seat, her voice growing louder.

"But what can you do about it? You don't know what Life looks like, you don't know what it sounds like, you don't even know the next time it'll strike. The only thing you know is that it's everywhere, and its only mission is to bring you down. No matter how hard you plead, no matter how hard you beg for it to stop, Life will continue to slap you in the face with event after event. Life controls everything, and unless you take control of Life and stand up to it, you'll never get anywhere."

Scootaloo sits down once again, continuing her speech while continuing to bring her teacher into a state of astonishment, "That's why I've come to the only answer I have: Expect everything. Never get comfy no matter how good your situation is because Life is always beside you thinking of ways to tear you down, and when it finally strikes at you, be ready for it. Accept everything it throws at you and roll with it, because it will never give you time to catch up if you spend the time you have sobbing over why this is happening to you or how you could have done something better."

When Scootaloo finally finishes, Cheerilee's mouth is wide open, the gears in her mind contemplating the words one of her best students has just poured into her cranium. The thing about is, Scootaloo isn't wrong. Life isn't a cakewalk, and you can constantly be bombarded with situations that you don't know how to solve or what to do. But life never slows down for you, it only continues on its way, leaving you in the dust.

"That was... very profound Scootaloo. I've never heard this side of you before. If you're looking for a cutie mark, try poetry slamming or motivational speaking because you have a talent with words."

**_"Optional Step: Lead them into a false state of happiness._**

Scootaloo isn't expecting her lighthearted teacher to agree with her, but shrugs her shoulders anyway, accepting the situation presented to her, "Thank you Mrs. Cheerilee, Raven always said I was good at expressing how I feel though words. In fact, she likes it so much that she's convinced me into writing poetry in my free time. Sometimes I even read them aloud to the kids at my home." She confesses, much to the joy of Cheerilee.

"Well I'd love to read one of them sometime. Maybe you'd get your cutie mark by reading your favorite one in front of the class."

"Yeah, maybe." Scootaloo says, chuckling at the thought. Scootaloo always hid her poetry in a special place in her home, away from everyone else. She sometimes pulled them out when no one was looking, reading her tiny dabbles and poor handwriting to herself. The thought of getting a cutie mark off of something so 'uncool' as Rainbow Dash puts it is amusing to her.

A silence hangs over the classroom, the two ponies smiling at each other.

Until Scootaloo begins to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Cheerilee asks, her smile increasing even more in size as the student in front of her giggles like a child.

"I bet you never expected a daredevil like me to be into writing poetry." She says, her laughter increasing in volume after she hears the words escape her throat.

Cheerilee begins to laugh with her, "Up to this point I expected you had some hidden talents, but poetry was not one of those."

Scootaloo chuckles with her teacher, the two enjoying their company more and more as time goes on. The two laugh together for what seems like hours, but in reality is only a minute. The two look at each other for a brief second before Scootaloo begins to speak once more.

"That's another thing life likes throwing at us, plot twists. You think you know someone inside and out, but they always have a hidden trick or two up their sleeves."

Cheerilee's smile once again goes flat, instead being replaced with a look you get when you see something big and menacing at the end of an alley. Her open mouth only gets wider when the Pegasus in front of her, the one she's bonded with so mush in such a short amount of time, stares directly through her flesh and cartilage and pierces her inner sanctum, causing her to start to breathe heavily as a wicked grin makes itself known on the fillies face.

_**"Final Step: Drop the bombshell."**_

"You know Cheerilee, poetry isn't my only hidden talent. I'm also good at acting, and learning about other ponies."

Cheerilee's labored breaths increase in pace as she swallows a big gulp of air, "L- learning about other ponies?"

"Yes, I find that getting ponies to openly admit to things about themselves is really easy in this town, especially ponies like you Cheerilee. All I have to do is ask and you'll spit out enough information about yourself that I can **read you like an open book**. Your emotions, what you do after school, even the tiny comments you'll write on my tests, telling me 'Your handwriting needs to improve, but otherwise great job!'

The last part of her sentence sticks to her, realizing that's exactly the words she wrote on the essay Scootaloo had handed in to her three days ago. Her heart begins pumping faster as the orange Pegasus continues to stare at her, not letting her have time to think before digging the hole deeper.

"The information you ponies don't share however, that's where it gets difficult. Luckily for me, Soundwave taught me how to sneak in a way that makes it very hard for other ponies to hear me. Very handy when your trying to look through someone's window."

Cheerilee tries to gain control of the situation put before her, "That's enough out of you! I will not have a... creeper running around in my class! Get out of my classroom! Get out and never come back!" She shouts, horrified that one of her students would do such a thing.

Once again Scootaloo just laughs. It isn't that kind of laughter like 'oh that's funny', it's that kind of laugh that shouts out 'its too late for you'. The purple earth pony watches as the creep reaches into her saddlebag that the teacher suddenly realizes was next to her the whole time.

The earth ponies heart sinks when the filly pulls out a dozen pictures.

"You kick me out of school or tell a soul about my 'hobby', and I'll make sure the entire world knows how the smiling school teacher of Ponyville has committed foalcon with an unsuspecting colt. against his will if I might add."

That instantly shattered the teacher's spirit, her heart beginning to slow down as she realizes there's nothing else to do. Her biggest secret, the only thing she's tried to hide from everyone, completely out in the open, and in the hooves of a filly with a mind so dark it could block out the sun. The earth pony tries one last tactic, her last hope hanging on her next words.

"Please...You don't know what you're doing Scootaloo."

Once again the filly laughs, getting out of her seat and stuffing the pictures back into her saddlebag. She trots up to her teacher, her grin now a thing that could give Discord nightmares.

"Never get too comfortable Cheerilee. You never know when Life is going to punch you in the face."

The filly stares at the shattered school teacher, the purple mare whose legs have given out minutes before. Her eyes have darkened moments before, her last bastion of hope completely broken by the devil in front of her. The mare looks up at the demon, and she could swear she saw something black swimming in the fillies eyes, an evil entity floating through the compact expanse of the fillies complex mind.

She doesn't get more than a glimpse of it as a hoof slams into the side of her skull, the teacher not having the will to fight back or cry, only groaning in pain as she brings a hoof up to caress the spot of impact. The filly smiles at the scene before her, trotting towards the door before looking back at the broken school teacher, the one who brought so many smiles to everyone reduced to nothing.

"Scoot-"

The school teacher's weak voice is instantly destroyed when the filly glares at her, the demonic child's crushing gaze shutting her up instantly.

"Scootaloo is such a childish name. From now on... call me Stalkerloo." The filly says, before opening up the door and walking out into the sunny day, everyone else once more oblivious to the scene inside. Cheerilee never gets up, only curling up her body as she contemplates what decisions she's made to come up to this moment.


End file.
